Weekend thieves decide to phone it in in Manchester

MANCHESTER — Six high-end smart phones fell into the hands of thieves over the long weekend, according to police who said most of the cell phones were swiped from the hands of unsuspecting owners.

Police said most of the thefts took place in the Elm Street area at night, when pedestrians are visiting bars and restaurants. In one case, the thief asked the person to use her phone and then took off.

Most victims were women or teenagers, and four thefts took place in the downtown area:

• Monday night at the corner of Amherst and Elm street, a man approached a woman and asked if she was alright. He grabbed her Samsung Galaxy phone and ran off.

• Early Monday morning, a woman at Elm Street and Lake Avenue had her iPhone 5 stolen by a thief who approached her from behind.

• Early Saturday morning, a man at Elm and Hanover streets had his iPhone 5 stolen by a stranger who approached him and asked to use his phone.

• Late Friday night, a man sitting at Veterans Park had his iPhone 4 stolen from a man who approached him from behind, grabbed the phone and ran off.

The other thefts involved teenage victims and took place on Friday afternoon away from downtown.

A 15-year-old boy had an iPhone 5 stolen from his hand as he rode his bike on Maple Street near the skate park.

A 16-year-old girl said her iPhone 5 was stolen as she rode a scooter near Hall and Summer streets.

In all but two cases, the victims described the thieves as teenagers. The teenaged boy who lost his phone on Maple Street couldn’t give a description to police.

The victim at Veterans Park said the thief of his phone was a tall white man.

Anyone with information about the thefts is urged to contact Manchester police at 668-8711.

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